The Steelers wide receiver signaled in a tweet Tuesday that he plans to leave the team ahead of the 2019 season. Brown also has officially requested a trade from Pittsburgh, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, but remains under contract with the team for three more seasons.

"Thank you SteelerNation for a big 9 years...time to move on and forward," Brown wrote, while adding a hashtag: "#NewDemands."

The tweet was accompanied by a highlight video set to the song "Do What I Want" by Lil Uzi Vert.

Brown's future in Pittsburgh had been in doubt in recent months after he was notably absent for the Steelers' regular-season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. Coach Mike Tomlin told reporters that the star wide receiver had not responded to calls and text messages during the week.

Owner Art Rooney II said in January that it was "hard to envision" Brown rejoining the Steelers in 2019.

The San Francisco 49ers have been speculated as a possible destination for Brown, with Hall of Famer Jerry Rice claiming in a radio interview that Brown wanted to join Rice's longtime club "really bad."